Authorities will start a joint investigation early next week into the Air Busan A321 that burst into flames at Busan Gimhae International Airport (PUS), Yonhap News Agency has reported.
Officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) have announced that the investigation will begin on February 3, 2025, while the aircraft remains on the tarmac at the airport.
“It was determined that the probe could be safely carried out without removing the fuel after conducting safety checks on the fuel tank and system,” said an official from the ministry’s investigation board.
The investigation into the incident was delayed because investigators found 35,000 pounds (16,280 kilograms) of fuel remaining in the aircraft’s wings. A Korean official told Yonhap News that this could pose a risk of explosion if the aircraft were to catch fire again during the investigation.
On January 30, 2025, the South Korean Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), which is leading the investigation, held a meeting with local police, firefighting teams and the National Forensic Service (NFS) to discuss safety measures for their joint investigation, according to the Yonhap News report.
On the same day, a team from the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) arrived at the airport to take part in the investigation. The Korea transport ministry announced that the schedule for an on-site inspection was set after a risk management assessment.
So far, the cause of the fire remains unknown. However, after the initial inspection, authorities suggested that it might have been caused by a portable battery or another electronic item. Some passengers told Yonhap News that they saw flames in an overhead compartment at the rear left of the aircraft, along with crackling sounds and smoke.
“We will keep all possibilities open to find the exact cause of the fire,” a ministry official said.
On January 28, 2024, just before 22:30 local time, Air Busan flight BX391, bound for Hong Kong, caught fire at Gimhae Airport immediately before takeoff. All 176 people on board were safely evacuated using an escape slide, with three of them suffering minor injuries. The aircraft had burnt-out holes along the fuselage roof, but its wings and engines were unharmed.
The incident took place less than a month after a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan International Airport (MWX), killing all but two of the 181 people on board.
